//------------------------------//
// Part 4 - The Punchline 
// Story: The Secret of Manehattan Mall 
// by Dee Pad 
//------------------------------//


The Secret of Manehattan Mall


By Dee Pad



Part 4: The Punchline


The dimly-lit basement was abuzz with whispering ponies, their eyes periodically glancing in the direction of the subject of their quiet gossip: the three new mares that had arrived not twenty minutes ago.  The arrival of new ponies was really the only time these captives had a chance to have actual conversations, sharing stories about their lives outside this commercial dungeon.  But eventually they had to run out of things to talk about and the depressing silence would return.

However, such whisperings amongst the group were uncommon; if you had something to say, you say it to the group.  These three mares show up and start to make bold claims of a daring escape.  It was not like nopony had suggested such a thing before and, of course, they were met with skepticism at first, but their determinism and strength of will were unlike anything they had ever seen before.  It ignited sparks of curiosity and even hope.  Hope that they could return to the lives that they had had stolen from them.  It was like a divine infection spreading throughout the group, implanting hopeful thoughts and lifting their spirits.

Rainbow Dash stood with her front hooves planted firmly on the table in the center of the room, staring at a large map of Manehattan Mall and thoroughly analyzing it in great detail.  Her friends stood by her side doing the same, but not exactly aware of what it was their cyan pal was looking for.  Several of the captive ponies sat quietly by for the pegasus to say or do something and come up with a plan of action that will lead them to freedom.

“Hmm...” the prismatic mare hummed in thought.  She lifted her head and looked out over the group.  “Anypony know how to read this thing?  It’s a little confusing.”

A collective groan rolled over the room.  Patchwork slapped a hoof over his face.  “You’ve been staring at that thing for five minutes and you haven’t figured anything out?  I figured when you announced that you were gonna perform this ‘heroic escape’ you’d at least have some idea of how you were going to do it.”

“Hey, I don’t see you making any suggestions!” she snapped back, pointing an accusatory hoof at the stallion.

“I already told you, we tried everything.”

Pinkie Pie hopped up from her seat and draped a hoof over Patchwork’s shoulders.  “You tried everything logical.  And when you can’t do anything logical, try the illogical!”

Patch simply blinked in confusion.  “That...doesn’t even make sense.”

“Oh, trust me,” Rainbow Dash chuckled, “coming from Pinkie Pie, that makes perfect sense.  No doubt the Pinkster has something in her magical bag of tricks that would make for an award-winning escape scene, but I’m sure there’s something we can do that still borders on the plausible side of things.  So, you got any info that might get the juices flowing?”

Patchwork tapped his chin thoughtfully.  “Well, security won’t be arriving for at least another hour, so we at least have some time to prepare.”

“These guards, how well equipped are they?” Dash inquired.

“They don’t have any weapons or anything if you were planning on stealing them and using those against them.  But they do have pepper spray.  Not as painful as these collars, but still pretty nasty.”

“They’ve also got walkie talkies that are specifically used for contacting the police,” Candy added.  “They aren’t likely to use them though on account of running the risk of the authorities figuring out about their little underground slavery project.”

“What about patrol routes?” Dash questioned further.  “Do they have set areas that they keep an eye on?”

“Despite the size of the place, there are only three guards,” Patch answered.  “They individually patrol the north, west, and east wings of the mall.”

Fluttershy leaned over Rainbow Dash’s shoulder to peek at the map, noticing something peculiar.  “But wouldn’t that leave the entrance, in the south wing, unguarded?”

“They’re not worried about anypony getting out because of the collars,” Candy clarified.  “So they don’t bother wasting time with the entrance.”

“Hmm...”  Rainbow Dash once more looked over the map.  Now the gears were starting to turn.  “Right, gotcha.  I think...I might have something here.”

“If you’re planning a sneak attack, that won’t work.”

Dash lifted her head, a look of surprise on her face.  Apparently Patch had read her mind.  The stallion pointed to a specific spot on the map, a small room above the central area of the mall accessible via a staircase.

“This is the security station.  I don’t know if you guys noticed, but this place is riddled with cameras, most of them completely invisible to the naked eye.  There’s nowhere to hide here and that’s why most of us end up getting caught.  You try to hide out somewhere in hopes of sneaking out when the mall opens, but the guards periodically check the security footage, so there’s no hiding.  They’ll find you eventually.”

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to talk, but Patchwork cut her off.

“This is also why no plan you come up with is going to work; they’ll have you figured out in no time.”

Rainbow Dash simply stared at Patchwork flatly, undeterred by this information.  “So we take out the security station.  Duh.”

“And how do you suggest we get past the locked and reinforced, iron door?”

Rainbow Dash grinned coyly and looked to her pink companion.  “Pinkie Pie,” she addressed simply with a flourish of her hoof.

With a happy salute, Pinkie Pie tossed off her saddlebags and began to rummage, pulling out a black, metal container and placing it on the table in front of her friend.  Candy leaned in to read the words on the lid.

“Foal’s First Lockpicking Kit?  Are you kidding me right now?  Do you even know how to pick a lock with this?”

In response to the question, Pinkie reached into her bag once more and removed a simple instruction book with the title Lockpicking for Dummies, placing it with the box.  Candy rolled her eyes.  She should have seen that coming.

“Okay,” Patchwork started, skepticism quite evident in his voice, “suppose we do manage to take out the cameras.  What then?  We still have these collars, so we can’t get out.”

Rainbow Dash folded her forelegs over the table, closing her eyes in deep thought.  Admittedly, she was just going with the flow here.  Being a hero was kind of her thing, and to see all these ponies in such a dire situation kicked that part of her personality into gear.  She wanted to save them, but had little idea as to how to actually do it.  In times like this she really wished Twilight was around to do the thinking.

“What if we incapacitate the guards?”

Rainbow Dash’s head shot up and turned in surprise.  She looked Fluttershy in the eyes incredulously.  The meek pegasus simply silenced herself.

“Oh, sorry.  I guess if that would work then somepony would have suggested it already, huh?”

“No no,” Dash corrected, extending her hoof, “I think you might be onto something.”

Patchwork let out an exasperated groan.  “Look, Rainbow Dash, I know we have power in numbers, but the ponies down here are in no fit state to fight anypony.  We’re all tired and hungry and weak.”

“Then let me at ‘em,” she retorted confidently.  “I’m one of the toughest ponies you’ll ever meet.  They won’t stand a chance.”

“All they have to do is call back up as soon as they realize that one of the other guards has been taken out,” Candy argued.  “We’ll be overrun in no time.  The only possible way this can work is if we somehow manage to take them all out at the same time.”

The room fell silent.  Rainbow Dash grinned cockily and looked to her friends who gave her reassuring nods.  They were thinking exactly what she was.

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Wha—?” Candy balked.  “How do you propose you take down three guards at the same time?”

“With strategy,” Dash answered with a wink.  She began pacing the room, her wings spread wide and confidently as she addressed the entire group of ponies.  “My friend and fellow Element of Harmony, Twilight Sparkle, once told me about a book that was all about fighting battles so that you could assure your victory.  It was, like, The Story of War or something like that.  Anyway, it was kinda boring and I wasn’t really listening.  ‘Blah blah, keep your enemies close, blah blah, power in numbers, blah blah.’  But I remember something she told me.  It was something along the lines of using your terrain and resources to your advantage.”  She stopped pacing and looked out over the crowd.  “And from what I can tell, you guys seem to know the terrain around here pretty well.  So what I’m suggesting is that if we put our heads together, we can prepare some kind of trap for them.”

Murmurs broke out over the crowd.  Not skeptical murmurs accompanied but concerned expressions, but devious grins and the sharing of ideas.  They were all more than eager to give their captors their comeuppance, they just needed somepony with the will to actually go through with it.

Rainbow Dash grinned proudly as she observed the ponies around devising tricks and traps they could use to exact revenge.  However, she had something a little more specific in mind.  She was jostled from her thoughts by a tap on her leg.  She looked down to see Peppercorn staring up at her excitedly.

“What are we gonna do Miss Dash?  Do you have a really awesome plan like what Daring Do would come up with?”

Dash chuckled and tousled his mane.  “Kiddo, I got plans out the wazoo.  But I just need a little help putting them into action.”  She turned to her two close friends.  “Pinks, Flutters, sit with me.  We got some battle strategies to plan.”

The two mares saluted proudly and took their seats next to their captain and they began to map out their plan of attack and discuss potential strategies, the other ponies gathering around and listening intently.


*****     *****     *****


Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy all stood at attention in front of the door leading out of the basement.  The crowd was eagerly awaiting their appointed commanders orders.  The cyan pegasus let her eyes roll over the group once more.  A small frown appeared on her face.  Despite their enthusiasm, it was evident that many of the ponies here did not want to get involved with the plan they had agreed upon.  Not because they thought it was a bad plan, but because they were simply too afraid to go through with it.

The discussion had come up during their planning.  As much as they wanted to get back at Vault Payroll and those who worked for him, there was always that lingering worry that something would go wrong.  If that ended up being the case, no doubt there would be severe punishment for those who chose to get involved.  Their hope was that, by not having any part of it, they could at least be subject to some lesser form of discipline.

Rainbow Dash was not going to argue with them.  Being trapped down here for as long as they have been was certainly going to take it’s toll on their willpower and confidence.  She wasn’t about to make anypony do something they didn’t want to do.  The responsibility might have to fall solely on the three Ponyville mares.

“So,” Dash started, fully aware that the skepticism that they once thought had been lifted had gradually begun to return, “you all know the plan, right?”

The crowd nodded in unison, a clear lack of confidence present.

Rainbow Dash sighed.  “Okay.  Gotta admit, was kinda hoping for a little more support.  But!  There’s no guarantee that this plan won’t succeed.  After all, it is me taking the helm here.”  She grinned as she egotistically ran a hoof through her mane.

Getting no real reaction from the group, she shook her head and prepared to depart.

“Wait!”

As Rainbow Dash placed her hoof upon the doorknob, she turned back to the crowd to see Peppercorn step forward.

“I wanna help!” he declared, puffing out his chest.

Dash paused for a moment, then chuckled.  She pat the colt lightly on his head.  “I appreciate it, kid, really, but maybe it’s better if you hang back.  These are more grownup matters, ‘kay?”

Peppercorn shook his head furiously.  “Nuh-uh!  I’m gonna help!” he insisted before letting out a sudden sneeze.  He sniffed before he continued.  “Even when Daring Do was in a tight spot, it was always her friends that bailed her out, and they would help her cuz they knew they could do something to help!  Maybe I can do something to help too!”

Rainbow Dash didn’t bother to hide her smile.  She fondly remembered reading those scenes from the several volumes she’d blitzed through.  Of course, she was no stranger to what the power of friendship could do.

“Ya know what?  You’re right.”

Peppercorn’s mouth curled out into an enormous grin.  “Really?!  You mean it?!”

“Sure thing, kiddo.  After all, every good hero needs a sidekick.  We could be like Daring Do and Short Stuff.”

Peppercorn hopped around frantically in glee, overjoyed to be embarking on what he perceived as a grand adventure.  He bounded over to Candy Cane, who stood at the front of the group with Patchwork.  “Did you hear that, Candy?!  I’m gonna be a hero!  Ah-choo!”

Candy looked worriedly at Rainbow Dash.  This plan was likely to put the colt in danger.  Dash was simply going to allow somepony so young to do something so risky?

But as she looked Rainbow Dash in the eye, she saw the pegasus’ determinism.  Her willpower.  Her overwhelming confidence.  In Rainbow Dash’s mind there was zero chance that this plan could fail.

And the more ponies involved, the higher those chances got.

“You know what?  I’m helping too.”

Patch gave Candy a shocked look.  “What?!  Why?”

“Because we can’t sit idly by while there’s some chance that we can get out of here.  Where there’s a will, there’s a way, right?  Well, I see that will, and I’m taking that chance.”  She stepped forward, stomping a hoof to cement her resolution.  “Just tell me what I can do.”

“Now that’s what I like to see!” Dash exclaimed.  “Anypony else wanna step up to the challenge?”

Nopony moved.  Their heads were all glancing about, checking to see if anypony else had the gumption to lend a helping hoof.  One stallion amongst the group stepped forward.

“I can help if you need anything, Miss Dash.”

His voice cracked slightly as he spoke, but just the fact he had the guts to speak up showed that he at least had some modicum of courage.  Rainbow Dash nodded with a proud smile to acknowledge him.

Patchwork watched as the three ponies stood before the crowd, willing to risk their health and safety for what most of them assumed would be a miserable failure.

Still, their resolve proved to be quite infectious.

Patch shook his head.  “Alright, I’ll help out too.  On one condition.”

Dash had been about to smile, but faltered at his words.

“Nopony else is to get involved, understand?”

Pinkie Pie’s jaw dropped in disbelief.  “What?!  Come on, Patch!  We were on a roll here!  We coulda had everypony backin’ us up eventually!”

“Exactly.  There’s no reason to put more ponies than necessary at risk here.  Over the past two years these people have become like a second family to me.  I care about them more than I care about myself, which is why I’m offering my help in their stead.”  He looked down at the smiling face of the young, pegasus colt standing with Rainbow Dash and grinned.  “Besides, if a little kid can show more bravery than everypony else in this room, what does that say about us?”

Dash smiled resolutely.  “Alright, fine.  Welcome to the team, Patch.”  She looked out over the crowd once more to address them.  “Okay, is everypony else fine with his condition?”

The majority of the group nodded their heads.

“Okay then.  Let’s get this thing underway.”

With that, the seven ponies appointed to carry out the mission stepped through the door and ascended the staircase back into the store room.  They were all fully aware that the planning phase had eaten up a fair chunk of their time and left them with only half an hour to get everything ready.

“Alright,” Dash started as she paced before her team.  “Let’s assign everypony to their tasks.  We’ve gone over the plan already.  Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy.  Do you remember what you have to do?”

Pinkie Pie slapped a hoof against her forehead in an unnecessarily painful salute.  “Yes, ma’am!  Agent Pie—that’s me—is to scout out and secure Sector B and prep for assault!”

Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak but was abruptly cut off as the party pony continued.

“Agent Shy—that’s you,” she said, leaning next to Fluttershy, “—is to rendezvous with reinforcements in Sector P!”

Fluttershy looked to Rainbow Dash.  “Um, what she said.”  

“Sector P!” the parrot squawked in agreement.

“In the meantime,” Pinkie continued, “Captain Dash—that’s you, Dashie—is in charge of disabling the enemy’s surveillance system!”

“And where does that leave us?” asked Patchwork.

Rainbow Dash stroked her chin.  “More ponies means more coverage.  We can get more done if we each handle different duties.  Candy, you go with Pinkie.  You guys have some prep work to do.”

“Sure thing,” Candy agreed with a smile.  Pinkie Pie pulled her new partner in for a grateful hug, horribly encroaching on her personal space.

Rainbow Dash turned to Patchwork.  “Patch, we need somepony to keep an eye on the entrance for when those guards show up.  Think you can handle it?”

“Not a problem.  Though that does raise the question of how exactly we’ll be keeping in contact with one another.”

Dash shrugged as if the question were a moot point.  “As if you need to ask.  Hey, Pinkie.  We need some walkie-talkies.  Hook us up, would ya?”

Pinkie Pie raised an eyebrow.  “Uh, okay, but I’d have to go down to the electronics department to find some.  Gonna be kinda hard to do that and set up Sector B.”

Rainbow Dash paused for a moment, blinking in confusion.  “Don’t you have some in your bags?”

“What?  Why would I carry a bunch of walkie-talkies around with me?  That just sounds silly.”

Dash simply stared, befuddled, at her friend.  She shook herself out of her stupor and turned to the other stallion in their group.  “Ugh, whatever.  You—uh, what was your name?”

The stallion flinched in surprise, not expecting to have been addressed despite being one of only four ponies to volunteer to help.  “Oh, I’m...uh, Fetch, ma’am.”

“Fetch, huh?  Perfect.  Look I’m gonna need you to head over to electronics and grab us three pairs of walkie-talkies and deliver them me, Pinkie and Fluttershy, got it?”

The stallion nodded.  “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.  Then that just leaves me and Peppercorn to take care of those cameras.”

“We’re gonna mess ‘em up good!” the colt exclaimed, hopping up onto his hind legs and shadowboxing the air.

“Alright, team, move out!” Dash commanded, as she took the lead, her comrades following closely behind.


*****     *****     *****


The gently dribbling water of the central fountain was a nice way to take one’s mind off the unsettling scenario Rainbow Dash and her friends had found themselves wrapped up in.  It was wholly relaxing and had the ability to soothe one into a sound slumber.  Of course, it was designed that way; when you’re in a place as bustling as Manehattan Mall, any source of calm was definitely welcome.  Perhaps it was one of the contributing factors to why everypony was so happy during the day.  Dash was beginning to contemplate maybe buying something similar for her bedroom.  For a hotheaded mare like herself, it would certainly make sleep much less elusive.

But now was not the time to get distracted.  They were on a mission, one that would result in the freedom of almost two dozen ponies.  Rainbow Dash had to stay set on her course, which right now was locating the security station.

Dash unfolded the map showing the layout of the mall, pinpointing the location that Patchwork had indicated earlier.  Just like last time, it was a small room near the central fountain.  However, it appeared to be on one of the upper levels, even higher above the shopping outlets.

Rainbow Dash chanced a look around, adjusting the headlamp given to her by Pinkie Pie.  Patchwork had said that this place was riddled with very well-hidden cameras.  Much to Dash’s dismay, she could see none.  If there were enough cameras to monitor every last nook and cranny of the mall, surely she’d be able to spot at least one.  She shrugged it off though; it didn’t matter where they were since their objective was to shut them down and destroy the footage they already had.  The only hurdle was finding the room itself.

“Miss Dash!  Up here!” Peppercorn shouted from one of the upper levels.

Rainbow Dash looked up in surprise.  This kid was quicker than she gave him credit for.  Suffice to say she was impressed.  Dash unfurled her wings and flew up to meet the colt on the fourth floor walkway.  “Didja find it already?”

“I’ve been here for two months.  I already knew where it was,” Peppercorn stated as he proudly puffed out his chest.

Rainbow Dash acknowledged the kid’s help with a grateful grin before looking to where he was pointing, a plain, white door further down the walkway.  Given how narrow the path was and the lack of anything else along there, it was evident that customers weren’t supposed to be back there.  That and the sign saying “Employees Only” on the door.

The two sauntered over to the door and Dash pushed it open.  Luckily it appeared to be unlocked, but based on Patchwork’s description, this most certainly was not the door he spoke of.  On the other side was the staircase she had seen on the map.  It went up a little before turning off to the right and ascending further.  Rainbow Dash and Peppercorn followed the trail.

At the top, as they both suspected, was the door in question.  A simple sign displaying the word “Security” belied the sheer magnitude of the door itself, not to mention being a complete understatement of what the door represented.  The massive, metal door looked more at home guarding the riches of the Royal Family than it did a simple security room.  Reinforced hinges; multiple locks; steel inches thick.  A fully grown dragon couldn’t bust through this thing.

Which was where Pinkie Pie came in handy.

Rainbow Dash flipped open her saddlebags and removed the lockpicking kit given to her by her friend as well as the guidebook.  “Let’s see here…” Dash mumbled as she opened the text.

Peppercorn watched as her eyes scanned the pages fervently, taking in all the information the tome had to offer to a newbie lockpicker.

“Ugh, forget this,” Dash groaned as she snapped the book shut and tossed it over her shoulder.  “I’m sure I can figure this out myself.”

Rainbow Dash looked the door up and down, particularly eyeing the locks.  There were several different kinds installed, such as a padlock and keypad, among others.  Dash had no idea how to pick any of them and she had neither the time nor patience to flip through some nerdy tutorials.  She plonked herself down in front of her kit, hoping that some of the tools inside would give her some idea of what to do.  Unhooking the clasps, she flipped it open to peruse the contents.

She stared blankly at the inside.  Peppercorn peeked over her shoulder to see what the problem was.  The kit was practically empty.  All that was present was in single, silver key.  Not only that, but it was an oversized, silver key.  It almost looked like a toy of some sort.

Rainbow Dash let her head loll backward, letting out a disappointed moan.  “Come on, Pinkie.  Seriously, this not the time for these kinds of jokes.”

“It won’t hurt to try, right?” Peppercorn said as he picked up the key in his mouth and stepped up to the door.  He flitted his small wings and rose up to the one keyhole in the door; just one of many different locks.

“That’s not gonna work, it’s just some toy that Pinkie was playing with, pretending to be a spy or something.  Besides, how’s a key gonna unlock all those locks?”

Peppercorn inserted the key and turned.  Much to the surprise of both pegasi, the tumblers within the door began to turn and each of the locks clicked open one by one.

Dash watched with her mouth agape, in utter disbelief of what she was seeing.  “You gotta be kidding me.  How’s that even—”  Rainbow Dash shook her head.  “Right, Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.”

Satisfied that the door was now unlocked, Peppercorn made to remove the key, only to have it snap off in the keyhole.  He opened his mouth, letting the handle drop to the floor.  “Oops.  I didn’t mean to do that.”

Rainbow Dash reached down and picked up the round handle of the key.  “This thing is solid metal, how’d it just snap off?”

Peppercorn flew down to the case lying on the floor, taking notice of something else inside.  “Hey, there’s some paper in here.”  He pulled out the paper and looked it over, a message scribbled on it in sloppy hoofwriting and written in colored pencil.  “‘One time use.  For emergencies only.  Like getting out of spooky dungeons.’  What’s that mean?”

Rainbow Dash simply shook her head as she prepared to open the door to the security station.  “It means Pinkie Pie.  Seriously, don’t bother trying to understand it.”

As the monolithic door swung outwards with a metallic groan, the two pegasi’s jaws dropped in unison.  Inside the security station was a dark room, dimly illuminated by the wall of what must have been dozens of camera monitors reaching up to the ceiling.  The two stepped inside cautiously, their eyes drifting throughout the room to take in the sight of it.  Below the monitors was a control panel covered with innumerable knobs, switches and buttons, none of which seemed to have any indication as to what they did.  It was like a celestial control room where an unseen deity could keep an ever watchful eye on their followers and interfere wherever and however they saw fit.

“Wow…” Peppercorn breathed, the sight leaving him awestruck.  “It’s just like something out of a space movie.”

“Don’t think Daring Do’s ever seen anything like this in any of the ruins she’s explored, huh?”

Peppercorn hopped up onto the chair sitting next to the control panel and stared at the doodads in amazement.  He lifted his hoof to push one of the buttons, but was stopped as Rainbow Dash grabbed him.

“I think this is the part of the movie where the hero tells her trusty sidekick not to touch anything,” she warned.

Peppercorn quirked an eyebrow.  “But I thought we were here to ruin this stuff anyway.  Can’t I just press one, pleeeeeease?” the colt pleaded.

Rainbow Dash observed the kid’s puppy dog eyes.  He was clearly an expert at making adults feel guilty; nopony could resist that face.

“Guess you got a point.  Since we’re bustin’ this thing up anyway, what’s the harm in pressing one button?  Besides, in the movies, no matter how many times they tell them not to, the sidekick always touches something anyway.”

“Yeah!” Peppercorn exclaimed as he slammed his hoof down on one of the buttons indiscriminately.

The two looked up at the monitors above to see what mayhem they might have caused.  Through many of the screens, their divine interference became evident.  Several of the dozens of camera lens became beaded with moisture and the floors of the mall soaked with water.  They set off the sprinkler system.

“Well, that was boring,” Peppercorn pouted, falling back onto his seat.

“I highly doubt this place has any kind of self-destruct button or anything.  That’d be too convenient,” Dash said, rolling her eyes.

“So, uh...whatta we supposed to do with it?” asked the colt.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes drifted over the monitors as she thought.  On a couple of the monitors she spied movement.  On one screen she could see Pinkie Pie and Candy Cane heading towards their destination, Pinkie’s mouth moving non-stop and chatting up a storm as she squeezed water out of her mane.  Candy didn’t seem annoyed though.  In fact, she was laughing and chatting right back.  Of course, she hadn’t known Pinkie as long as Rainbow had.  Give it time.

Another screen depicted Fluttershy trotting casually to her objective, her new, feathered friend flying in circles around her.  Even though she was alone she didn’t seem quite as scared as she had been earlier.  Perhaps the thought of helping all of these ponies was providing her with the courage she needed.  She did seem to be having issues getting her wet and matted mane out of eyes though.

Rainbow Dash tore her eyes away from the screen, returning to the current topic: what to do about the cameras?

“Right.  So, we basically gotta do two things.  Patch said that the guards come up here to check the footage periodically, so we need to shut off these cameras.”

“But couldn’t they just turn ‘em back on?”

“Yeah…” Dash hummed as she tapped her chin.  “We need something a little more permanent.  And after that we gotta erase the footage they already have so they can’t tell that me and my friends are here.”

“Do you know how to do that?” Peppercorn asked as he looked over the control panel, hoping to find something to that effect.

Dash groaned.  “No clue.  I’m not really that great with all this techie stuff.  Probably should’ve thought this through a little better.  If Twi were here, she’d probably know what to do.”

Peppercorn let out a quiet sneeze and sniffed before speaking.  “She your friend?  She sounds smart.”

Rainbow Dash smiled.  “Try ‘genius.’  That egghead’s always got her nose in a book.  Actually, she’s the one who introduced me to Daring Do.  Normally if she was ever fiddling with some science-y whatchamacallits, I’d just be standing there and watching, and she’d be telling me not to touch anything.”

“So, does that make you her sidekick?” Peppercorn chuckled.

“Pffft, as if,” Dash scoffed.  “She's just the brains of the group.  Everypony knows that I’m a natural born leader.  Kinda ticks me off a bit when she tells me what I can and can’t do though.  ‘Don’t touch that.’  ‘Pass me that screw driver.’  ‘Careful with that soda, you might ruin my—’”

Rainbow Dash paused.  Peppercorn stared at her in confusion.

“Miss Dash?  What’s the matter?”

Rainbow Dash grinned mischievously.  “Nothin’ at all.  In fact, I just figured out how we’re gonna do this thing.  Wait right here.”

Dash hurried out the door, leaving Peppercorn alone in the room.  Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, the colt turned to one of the glowing monitors to see Rainbow touching down next to a pair of vending machines.  The mare tapped one machine lightly with her hoof, then turned around, lifted her hind legs, and bucked a hole straight through it.  Several cans of soda spilled out onto the floor and she wasted no time scooping them up and dropping them into her saddlebags.  She was about to take off again before pausing and inspecting the machine’s change slot.  Finding nothing, she shrugged and took off, heading back to the security station.

A wide smile appeared on Peppercorn’s face.  It was obvious now what Rainbow Dash intended to do, and he was on board one hundred percent.  The metal door swung open once more, the mare reentering the room.  She grabbed her saddlebags from her back, swinging them through the air violently a few times before placing them on the floor and removing a shaken up can.

“Ready, kid?”

Peppercorn hopped down from the chair exuberantly and grabbed himself a can.

“Ready?  Aim.  Fire!”

The two popped the tabs with their teeth and quickly directed the sudden burst of pressurized soda towards the control panel, soaking the console thoroughly.  When one can was empty, they’d grab another and repeat the process.

All the sugar and carbonated water leaked into the instruments, quickly corroding the circuits within.  Sparks began to pop and sizzle from the machine and monitors became fuzzy and unclear.  One by one the screens’ displays were replaced by black and white static until the whole thing went dark entirely.

Dropping an empty can to the floor, Dash picked up one of two more she had set aside from the rest, undisturbed.  She passed the other to Peppercorn and popped the tab on her own can, enjoying the sweet, fizzy taste of victory.  Peppercorn gulped down half the can in one go, stopping only to unleash a manly belch before bursting into a fit of laughter.

“That was awesome!  I never had this much fun in a long time!” Peppercorn laughed, rolling on the floor.

Rainbow Dash chuckled as well.  “Hey, don’t celebrate too much.  We still have work to do before we can get out of here.”

“Miss Dash?  Peppercorn?”

The two ponies turned their heads to see Fetch peeking through the door, mane still dripping slightly.  It must have been an odd sight to see with the wall of monitors covered in soda, the control panel sparking dangerously, and the two pegasi slightly damp themselves.

“I got the walkie talkies you asked for,” he said, stepping inside and passing the items to Rainbow Dash.  “I’ve already taken the liberty of synching them up with the others’.  You shouldn’t have any trouble contacting your friends.”

“Sweet.  Thanks, dude.  Great job,” Rainbow Dash congratulated.

“Not a problem, ma’am,” Fetch said graciously.  “But, uh, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to head back with the others now.  I think I might be in over my head here and it’d probably be best to leave the rest with you since you guys seem like you know what you’re doing better than I do.”

Rainbow Dash nodded.  “Yeah, sure.  You did your part.  Take a breather.  You deserve it.”

“Right.  Good luck then,” Fetch bid them as he exited the room to return to the basement.

Dash looked at her walkie talkies.  They were a little childish looking with their bright yellow design, but as long as it had enough range it would do.  Handing one off to Peppercorn, she pressed the button on the side to test it out.

“This is Rainbow Dash.  Anypony hear me?”

She released the button and waited a moment.  A buzz of static came over the device, followed by a familiar voice.

“Read you loud and clear, Captain Dash!  This is Private Pinkie Pie reporting!  Over.”

Rainbow Dash grinned, relieved that everything seemed to be working.  “Cool.  Listen, Pinkie, how’re thing’s looking on your end?”

“Colonel Cane and I have just finished prepping Sector B for contact!  Awaiting further orders, Captain!  Over!”

Dash rubbed her ear.  “Alright, geez.  No need to yell, Pinkie.  Peppy ‘n’ me just shut down security.  Just sit tight and wait there.  Patch is supposed to call in when those guys get here, okay?”

“Roger dodger, Rashie Dashie!  Over and out!”

Rainbow Dash grimaced.  “Please don’t call me that.”

Another, much more quiet voice came over Peppercorn’s walkie talkie.

“Rainbow Dash, I think I’m just about ready, too,” Fluttershy confirmed.

Rainbow Dash nodded, not realizing that she couldn’t see her.  “Good.  Then we’re just waiting on Patchwork.”

“Just let me know when they get here and I can—oh, wait!  Come back!  No no, don’t do that!  Oh dear…”

Dash raised an eyebrow in concern.  “Uh, everything okay over there?”

“Oh, yes, um…  Just got to…  One of our troops just went…  Oh, what’s the term?  AWOL?  Is that it?  It’s no big deal, I think I can—”  Fluttershy was cut off by a loud crash in the background, causing Rainbow Dash and Peppercorn to wince.  “Oh, darn.  I just need a few more minutes.  Fluttershy!  Can you help me round them up please?” the pegasus called to her companion.

“Squrawk!  AWOL!  AWOL!”

Rainbow Dash shook her head and sighed.  “I worry about her sometimes.”

Again, another voice came over the device.

“Rainbow Dash?  It’s Patchwork.”

“Heh.  Hey, Patch,” Dash chuckled uncomfortably.  “Please tell me you have better news than Fluttershy.  She seems like she has her hooves full.”

“I don’t know if you would consider it good news or not, but I’m afraid we just ran out of time.  The guards are outside right now.”

Peppercorn gasped.  “Miss Dash!  We gotta hurry!  We still haven’t set up our trap yet!”

“Right, right,” the mare said hurriedly.  “Patch, keep an eye on those guards.  And for the love of Celestia, don’t get caught.  Okay?”

“I should be saying the same to you.  Just get to it.  I’m praying that this ludicrous plan of yours actually works.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it.  I’m Rainbow Dash.  There’s no way we can fail.  Now, I need everypony in their positions.  It’s time to kick this thing off.”

With a buzz of static, the walkie talkie went quiet and Rainbow Dash placed the pair in her saddlebags.  She threw the bags onto her back and quickly made for the door, Peppercorn trailing close behind.  The two were invigorated by the prospect of their daring rescue, the colt feeling as though he were living an adventure straight out of one of his favorite books.  But they still had work to do and little time to do it.


*****     *****     *****


The city of Manehattan was normally a place of constant activity, with ponies always having someplace to go and something to do.  But at this hour, the city was dead silent.  That silence melded with the dead air of Manehattan Mall when its glass doors swung open.

Three figures dressed in matching blue uniforms made their way inside.  They, too, were as quiet as the atmosphere around them, piercing the darkness with stern gazes.  In unison, the three stallions removed their flashlights from their belts and shone them against the black curtain within the mall.  The earth pony standing in the middle of the trio took one step forward.  The moment his hoof touched the ground, he found it flung out from beneath him, causing him to crash to the wet, tiled floor.

“The hay?” he grumbled as he carefully rose to his hooves once more.  He felt the moisture soaking through his uniform and quirked an eyebrow in confusion.  “Why’s the floor wet?”

“No idea, but I think we’ll find out pretty soon,” one of the other guards, a pegasus, said.  “I’ll head up to security and check the footage.”

The third, a unicorn, shrugged indifferently and began making his way to his assigned post.  “Probably just those punks in the basement mucking around.  I'll go down there and give 'em a little lesson in...discipline," he said as he cracked a malicious grin.

Now separating from his co-workers, the guard marched towards the basement at the back of the mall.  A long trek to be sure, but it gave him plenty of time to think about what he was going to do to punish the insolent captives.  It wouldn't be the first time either.  Sneaking out of the basement was a punishable act as his boss had dictated and was to be corrected with a merciless jolt from the torturous collars strapped to their necks.  It didn't bother him really either.  In fact, catching the prisoners breaking the rules and handing down punishment entitled him to a little extra padding on his next paycheck, and money was an easy way to subdue one's inhibitions.

The unicorn grimaced as he trotted through the mall, finding an annoyance in the tiny splishes and splashes of the wet floor.  That would make taking anypony who was trying to sneak around aware of his presence, and he certainly enjoyed the looks on their faces when he would catch them in the act.  He shone his flashlight forward in his magical grasp, it's illuminating beam reflecting off the small puddles.  If anything good were to come of this, it was that he could hear those no-goodniks as well.

That's when his ears perked up.  The rhythmic sound of four hooves rushing hurriedly through the water ahead of him and a small shadow to accompany it.  He pointed his flashlight to the source of the noise, but saw nothing except a bench, garbage can, and potted plant; a simple place for somepony to sit and catch their breath after hours of shopping.  He stepped forward more deliberately now, being careful to make as little noise as possible.  They were here somewhere and he was going to catch them.

His ears swiveled again, this time directing his attention to the walkways above.  But it was not the sound of hooves that he had heard, but flapping wings.  A pegasus no doubt.

Then, the splashing water again, but now behind him.  He swung around, his flashlight fumbling about as he turned, and once more saw nothing.

The malevolent enthusiasm he had had before was starting to fade.  There was no way that one pegasus could be in three places at once.  There must have been more of them.

More splashing.  More flapping of wings.  All simultaneous and constant now.

There must have been twenty of them.  He was surrounded.  He whipped his flashlight back and forth, seeing nothing except perhaps a brief glimpse of a bushy tail or colored wing disappearing into the darkness.

The guard gulped.  He had weapons at his disposal, he could shock the lot of them if he had the mind to.  But this wet floor, would it amplify the effect of the collars?  He wanted to punish them, but he didn't want anypony seriously hurt.  That could spell trouble for him.  His brain was telling him that the best course of action now was to get to the basement and fast before the escaped ponies could jump him.

He started into a gallop, no longer paying mind to the noise he was making.  He never thought he'd actually be afraid of them.  It was supposed to be the other way around, and now here he was on the run.

His hoof splashed into a small puddle, his haste causing him to slip and collapse onto the floor with a wet thud and lose his telekinetic grip on his flashlight.  He never made to rise, but simply lifted his head slightly.

What was even scarier than the idea of being assaulted by a group of ponies that he knew for a fact hated him was the eerie silence that suddenly filled the malls corridors.  Not a single splash, not a faint flap, not a sound at all.  They must have been messing with him, content to see him flee in terror of the ponies he helped keep prisoner.  That sadistic notion just made his spine tingle more.  His eyes moved forward, hoping to pierce the darkness without the aid of his flashlight.

But he didn't need it.

Sitting just a few meters away from him were more than a dozen glowing, beady, little eyes, staring him down through the veil of blackness.  The guard broke into a cold sweat, the heat seemingly sucked from his body.  With what willpower he had left, he scrambled for his flashlight, in no frame of mind to grab it with his magic, and turned it on the monsters hiding in the darkness.

Not at all bothered by the bright light were more than a dozen cute, fluffy, adorable animals, from kittens to puppies to ferrets and guinea pigs, sitting innocently and looking just gosh darn lovable.  Puppies sat with their tongues hanging out and tails wagging; kittens groomed their damp fur; birds absentmindedly preened their feathers.  Just a bunch of pets that had apparently escaped from the pet store.

But none of this eased the mind of the quivering guard who continued to stare with wide eyes and horror as if these animals were beasts from the bowels of Tartarus.

That's when he heard a voice echo from the shadows.  Quiet and unintimidating on its own, but it was the words it spoke that filled his heart with untold terror.

"Sic 'em."

In an instant the herd of animals pounced toward him mercilessly.  His terrified scream was quickly stifled as the critters pinned him down and piled on top of him, bombarding him with a vicious salvo of affectionate licks and cozy nuzzles.

"No!  Get away from me!  I'm ah...ah...AH-CHOO!"  The subdued guard let out a flurry of uncontrolled sneezes, completely negating his ability to speak.

A pegasus mare with a large, red parrot perched on her head slowly emerged from the darkness, looking a touch concerned, but also a little satisfied.  She approached the prone guard and spoke softly, yet sternly, at him.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. security guard, sir, but you were being very mean to some friends of mine and I don't like it when people bully other ponies.  I know you're just doing your job, but Mr. Payroll is a bad man and you'd just try to stop us from bringing him to justice."

The unicorn simply groaned in response.  He could barely make out the face of the mare speaking to him through his puffy and teary eyes.

"My friends here are going to keep you company for now so you don't try and interfere, okay?  You just need to wait until we take care of your colleagues.  Afterward, I'll be sure to get you some allergy medication.  Sorry."

Still unable to move, the guard could hear the mare walking away, leaving him at the mercy of this adorable pile of fur and dander.  Though her voice was soft and kind, he could feel some unseen force bearing down on him that told him that he should probably just do as she says for fear of his safety and his sanity.

Fluttershy peered back over her shoulder at the submissive guard and the animals that continued to deliver lick after lick and nuzzle after nuzzle.  "Oh my.  I hope we weren't to hard on him," she mused as she removed a walkie talkie from her saddlebags.  She pressed the button on its side to contact her comrades.  "This is Fluttershy.  Objective complete."


***** ***** *****


The earth pony guard moaned in aggravation for what must have been the tenth time since separating from his co-workers, fruitlessly attempting to wipe the moisture that had stained his uniform.  He wasn't even paying attention to his surroundings so much as he was cussing under his breath at the miscreant that had apparently set off the sprinklers.

"I swear to Celestia, when I find those troublemakers..."  He didn't bother to finish his thought; it's not like they were around to hear his threat anyway.

Or were they?

A bright light that had been shining from around the next corner caught his attention.  He quirked an eyebrow in confusion, but soon curled it into a scowl.  "Well, I guess I know where to start looking."

The guard cautiously approached the corner before slowly peeking his head around it, hoping that, if they were here, they wouldn't spot him.  However, nopony was in sight.  The light, in fact, was coming from one of the mall's larger entertainment outlets: Playground Paradise.

So, they thought they could sneak out and have a little party, eh?  He chuckled quietly as he contemplated the idea of "crashing" said party.  He could practically see the looks on their faces already when he strolled in there and caught them in the act.  He was definitely looking forward to that bonus.

The guard poised himself and prepared to bust the little brats.  He quickly jumped around the corner and pointed his hoof forward authoritatively.  "Alright, you punks, drop everything and—"

He paused and his expression fell.  There was nopony there.  The playground was completely deserted.

The guard let out a disappointed groan as his hoof landed on the floor again.  Admittedly, he had been hoping to find somepony here.  At least then this night wouldn't be so dull.  Had he been paying more attention, he certainly would have noticed how quiet the place was.  The prisoners must have already gone back to the basement or are loitering somewhere else in the mall.  The bright lights were the only indication that somepony had been here at all.  That and the inflated bouncy castle.

The earth pony begrudgingly sauntered up to the rubber construct and made to switch the generator to deflate the giant eyesore.  He realized, however, that the machine wasn't even on.  In fact, the pump wasn't plugged into the castle.  In it's place was a run-of-the-mill bicycle pump.  The guard blinked as he tried to wrap his brain around what he was seeing.  With curiosity he plucked the pump's hose from the castle.  With a steady hiss of air the structure began to deflate and flatten normally.  The stallion simply shook his head.  He had no idea what those mongrels were up to, but they were certainly going to explain themselves, he was going to make sure of that.

With the castle fully capable of returning to its dormant state of its own accord, the guard made to return to his patrol and turned to the exit.  He paused.  A pink tail could be briefly seen disappearing past the playground's entrance, accompanied by the hurried sound of hoofsteps galloping down the hall.

The guard smirked.  "Gotcha."

Without hesitation he gave chase, immediately flipping his flashlight into his mouth and bursting into a full gallop.  He turned the corner leading out of the playground without slowing at all, intent on catching the escaped pony.  He knew he was gaining ground, or at the very least was keeping pace; the other pony's hoofsteps were still quite audible and close enough for him to determine where they were headed: the nearby food court.

Even if it had been hours since anypony had been there, a faint mixture of aromas was still present within the food court.  The guard skidded to a halt when he arrived.  His eyes darted back and forth, thoroughly scanning the circular court.  He scoffed at the dead silence as it made it apparent that he had lost the runner.  They could have ducked into any of the diners lining the area.

He methodically guided his flashlight across the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of something that would point out their hiding place.  He saw nothing out of the ordinary other than the light's reflection off of the small puddles of water on the floor.  Sort of made one wonder who Payroll was going to force to clean it all up.

The silence was suddenly broken by a metallic clang.  The earth pony's ears swiveled to the left, following the source of the noise.  Shining his flashlight in the same direction revealed not only the miscreant's hideaway, but the miscreant themselves.  He barely had time to register that the offender was apparently a mare, but not enough time to discern their features before they vanished into the adjacent store: a bakery.  The guard bolted toward them, grinning triumphantly now that they had made the mistake of cornering themselves.

The moment he stepped into the dark pastry shop, the light of his flashlight was drowned as the lights of the store flicked on.  The stallion lifted his hoof to shield his eyes from the sudden assault of light.  When he lowered it, what he saw was most assuredly not what he was expecting.

Lined up all around the room were an assortment of military siege weaponry, from cannons to catapults to ballistae, all decorated as if they were to be part of an extravagant parade and loaded with cakes, pies and other pastries as ammunition.

And positioned in the middle of the unmanned assault was a pink mare reclined in a lawn chair, her hind legs crossed casually and her front hooves resting under her chin.  Topping off what was already a rather intimidating scenario was the sinister grin on the pink pony's face and the malicious glint in her bright, blue eyes.

The shock of the whole scene caused the guard's jaw to drop, allowing his flashlight to clatter to the floor.  He took a cautious step back, his mind telling him to run.  Run fast.  But before he could, the mare spoke.  She quietly uttered a single, terrifying word.

"Surprise."

The quiet of the food court was suddenly shattered by the snapping of drawstrings and the igniting of cannons as the air in the bakery was filled with flying pastries, all hurtling toward the wide-eyed guard.  He was barely able to turn tail before the barrage was upon him, splattering him with innumerable desserts and covering him with delicious, but debilitating, frosting.  Within moments the stallion found himself buried and dazed beneath a mountain of confectionery delights.

Pinkie Pie's sinister smile quickly transformed into one of innocence and amusement.  She gleefully bounded from her seat and hopped over to the mound of sugary yumminess.  She stuck out her tongue and proceeded to scoop a hefty amount of icing into her mouth, revealing the face of the bewildered and dizzied security guard buried beneath it.

Pinkie gulped down the frosting and licked the remainder from her lips.  "Woo-wee, that was fun!  I don't get many chances to bust out my patented 'Ballistic Party Assault Force'," she giggled.

"Where did you even get all this stuff anyway?" Candy Cane asked as she stepped out from behind the counter and sized up the assorted weapons for the second time.

"Buckea.  They have everything."  Pinkie Pie bucked her withers up slightly, causing one of her walkie talkies to pop out of her saddlebags and onto her hoof as well as a green army helmet which landed squarely on her head.  She put on her serious face and clicked the button on its side.  "Come in, Captain Dash.  This is Private Pinkie Pie and Colonel Candy Cane reporting.  The target has been neutralized.  Repeat: target neutralized.  Awaiting further orders."

Candy poked the dazed, pastry-covered guard.  A small, hopeful grin creased her lips.  "You know, this plan might actually work.  We might actually get out of here."

Pinkie Pie replaced her helmet and radio back into her saddlebags and smiled confidently.  "Of course!  This is Rainbow Dash's idea and she never lets her friends down.  So it's gotta work or else they'll be let down, and we can't let that happen, right?"

Candy giggled at her new friend's optimism.  "Right, gotcha."


*****     *****     *****


The pegasus guard whipped his flashlight back and forth, fully intent on catching the escaped prisoners.  So far, nothing, but he remained ever vigilant; those mongrels weren't going to get away with whatever shenanigans they were trying to pull.

He knew something was up though.  They rarely ever pull stunts like this knowing what punishment awaits them when they were caught.  The only time they did was when a new one showed up and got themselves trapped in here.  Newcomers always had a case of denial during the first few nights and would foolishly attempt escape.  It never worked out for them though.

So, of course, he knew what was up: there was a new face in here somewhere, and a new face meant going over the rules and what exactly happens when those rules are broken.  Problem was, unlike his co-workers, he despised the idea of adding new bodies to the "work force"; all it meant was more work for him.  Despite the fact that they didn't have to care about the prisoners, they still needed to be fed.  Didn't mean he had to give them good food, but he wasn't looking forward to hauling an extra plate down there.

The pegasus let out an impatient sigh.  "Just show yourselves already, ya little punks.  I ain't looking for ya all night."

His grumbling was interrupted when the silence of the corridor was suddenly disturbed by something other than his own hoofsteps.  It sounded like a hollow, metallic clatter.  And the sound persisted, growing ever closer.  He beamed his flashlight forward, the light reflecting off of an empty soda can that was rolling towards him before coming to a stop against his hoof.

The guard looked ahead, his eyes following a trail of the can's remaining droplets along the white, tile floor.  It didn't lead far, stopping at a nearby trash bin.  He leisurely approached the receptacle, fully confident that his prey was trapped.  With no attempt at subtlety, he flipped the lid off and shone his light as he peered inside.  The nervous smile of a pegasus colt stared back at him from within.

"Heh.  H-Hello," Peppercorn stammered.

The intimidating adult simply glared at the colt.  "You're in a lot of trouble, kid."

"Um, actually, I can explain this."

The statement was followed by silence.  The guard's eye's shifted back and forth briefly as he waited.

"Well, aren't you gonna—Oof!"

Peppercorn forcefully rammed the inside of the can, knocking the edge into the guard's chest and causing him to stagger backward and drop his flashlight.  The can fell over at the same time, Peppercorn not wasting a moment to get out of there and taking flight down the hall.

"Ugh.  You little brat!"

Not bothering to grab his flashlight, he guard made chase, following the colt into the air.  Peppercorn looked back to see his pursuer hot on his tail and gaining ground.  No matter how fast he flew, the guard was bigger and stronger than him, he'd catch up eventually.  His only option was to outmaneuver him and hide when he wasn't looking.

Peppercorn dipped down and flew under one of the mall's many map boards, confident that the larger pegasus wouldn't fit.  Unfortunately the guard didn't follow him, instead keeping true and flying straight over the sign.  This ended up putting Peppercorn directly beneath him now.  He'd just have to drop down and grab the colt to end the chase.

But Peppercorn was first to act.  He thrust his hooves down onto the floor, skidding to a stop, forcing the guard to sail far ahead of him.  The pursuing adult flared out his wings suddenly when he realized he'd been duped, halting in midair and turning around with an aggravated snarl.  He turned in time to see the little one ducking into a nearby store and bolted after him.

The guard touched down outside the outlet, taking a brief moment to glance at the sign above reading "Tic Tac's Toys."  He cautiously stepped inside, scanning the store thoroughly, but saw no sign of the kid.  He flapped his wings lightly to get a view of the whole store.  It was dark without the aid of his flashlight, but he'd be able to spot any sudden movements.  Seeing that an aerial view wasn't going to help much, he touched down again and remained motionless at the store's entrance.

"I ain't moving, kid, so you're either gonna have to come out or stay holed up in here all night.  What's it gonna be?"

"Ah-choo!  Oops..."

The guard's head turned, the sound directing his attention to a bin of large, colorful, rubber balls.  As he reached in to grab the concealed child, one of the balls bounced up, hitting him squarely in the nose.  Once again, he stumbled back in surprise, giving Peppercorn the opportunity to burst out of the bin and make a beeline for the exit.  The stallion turned to resume the chase, but a second figure dropped down from above the entrance, slamming the store's metal shutter closed in his face with a resounding clang.

The guard quickly made to pull it back open and give the kid's cohort a piece of his mind, but the shutter didn't budge; it was locked in place.  He began angrily pounding on the metal barrier.  "Hey!  Open this thing up right now or I'm gonna—"

"You're gonna what?" came a mare's voice from the other side.  "The way I see it, you're in no position to be bossing us around.  We have you outnumbered and outgunned."

The stallion paused for a moment.  "Outgunned?  What, you have weapons or something?"

"Not us," the mare answered, "but our friends do."

The toy store was suddenly filled with a cacophony of electronic beeps and whirs, as well as an eerie red glow.  The guard turned around to find countless toy robots perched on the shelves behind him, their menacing, red eyes and loaded, ballistic weaponry all fixed on him.  One of the robots spoke in a deep, synthetic voice.

"Target acquired."

Outside, all Peppercorn and Rainbow Dash could hear was a symphony of laser blasters and missile fire accompanied by the panicked yelps of their helpless victim.  They waited in silence, listening for any activity from within the store.  After a moment, another robot spoke.

"Enemy neutralized."

Dash raised her hoof in the air and Peppercorn hopped up with a victorious whoop, clacking his own hoof against hers.

"We did it, Miss Dash!  We got 'im!"

"Got that right.  Poor sucker never knew what hit him."

Peppercorn stared at Rainbow Dash with a hopeful smile.  "Does that mean we won?  We can go home now?"

Dash chuckled and pat the colt's head.  "Not quite.  We still have one more person to deal with."


*****     *****     *****


If anypony were to ask if there was ever a time when the city of Manehattan was quiet and peaceful, they would probably respond with a confident "no."  Even in the dead of night it always seemed like somepony, somewhere, was doing something do disturb the tranquility.  But not this night it seemed.  Tonight, by some freak phenomenon, Manehattan was asleep.  At least, that's how it seemed in any case.  The streets were empty, the city lights dim and the air silent, but that couldn't last forever.

The elusive, silent twilight that shrouded the city was finally beginning to recede as the first rays of amber sunlight poured out from over the horizon, bathing the skyscrapers in its aura and giving them the appearance of colossal, golden obelisks.  After a long night's rest it was time for Manehattan to awaken.

A lone stallion, garbed in his usual grey suit and glasses, leisurely ascended the stairs of Manehattan Mall, ready to welcome another day of profit and success.  As Vault Payroll approached the doors he removed a small key from his suit pocket, safely tethered to him by a silver chain.  He inserted the key and, at his prompt, all of the doors clicked open simultaneously.  This was his empire.  Even the very foundation of the building obeyed his every command.

However, it only took one step inside to tell him that something was wrong.  Instead of an echoing clop when his hoof touched the floor, there was a tiny splish.

"What the—"  Vault observed the many puddles of water dotting the floor of his mall.  His brow curled, accompanied by a displeased groan.  "It appears somepony needs a refresher course on the rules."

"You can say that again."

Vault's head shot up at the sound of the vaguely familiar voice.  Standing ahead of him, several yards away, were the three Ponyville mares he had met the day before, one of them sporting a bright red parrot on her head.  And with them approximately twenty other familiar faces that he was never keen on seeing for more reasons than one.  Rounding out the gathering were three of his overnight security guards, tied together with a long piece of rope, completely incapacitated.

Vault was taken aback by the sight, a look of shock on his face.  "W-What's going on here?!  What's the meaning of this?!"

Rainbow Dash stomped forward aggressively.  Vault instinctively took a step back.  "We're putting an end to your reign of terror, that's what!"

"You're an awful, awful man, Mr. Payroll," Fluttershy said sternly.  "Taking all these ponies away from their homes and their families.  It's unforgivable."

"Unforgivable!" the parrot echoed with a whistle.

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie added with a point of her hoof.  "It's super boring down there!  These people have been bored outta their gourds!"

Vault growled furiously at his aggressors.  "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?!  I am Vault Payroll, the single richest pony in all of Manehattan and the most powerful!  These...cretins trespassed on my property, therefore they owe it me to make up for the damages they've caused!"

"Damages?  What damages?" Rainbow Dash shot back.  "All I see here are a bunch of ponies who got lost and trapped or fell asleep in the mattress store.  The only one here who's done anything wrong is you!"

"Do you have any idea what these plebeians do during the run of a night?" Vault snarled.  "I'm out hundreds of bits because they can't keep their hooves to themselves."

"And what to you expect?" the prismatic pegasus retorted.  "You're holding them here against their will.  They hate your guts and wanna do whatever they can to get back at you.  Besides, if they're really such a problem for you, just let 'em go."

"Hmph," the old stallion scoffed.  "Do prisons release their inmates when they misbehave?  No, they punish them.  And we will continue to punish them and anypony else who disrespects my property!"

Vault stood in the path of dozens of eyes, staring at him with greatly restrained rage.  It was entirely obvious that more than one of them were likely contemplating to outright attack him.  The fire in their eyes would not be quelled easily.  Still, he remained firm.  Vault wouldn't be done in by a rabble of common ponies.

However, the eyes of the cyan pegasus standing at the head of the group that had just been chewing him out suddenly showed something else.  Although a hint of anger lingered in her magenta irises, they were now oddly relaxed, her brow not furrowed like the others.  He could even swear that there was a slight smile on her lips.

"Hmm," hummed Rainbow Dash as she closed her eyes in thought.  "Okay.  I guess that makes sense."

That caught Vault off guard.  "Huh?  Are you saying you understand the situation from my point of view?"

Dash simply shrugged in response.  "Sure.  You have a point."  The mare turned to the three, bound guards.  She reached down and picked up a portable radio that was lying next to them, quietly buzzing with static.  She held the device to her mouth.  "What do you think, Sarge?"

Sweat began to pour over Vault's face as a gruff voice responded from the other end.

"I agree, Miss Dash.  If he's going to compare his mall to a prison then he shouldn't see too much of a difference when he gets there."

"W-Who is that?!" Vault stammered worriedly.

The quiet morning air of Manehattan was suddenly shattered by the wailing of sirens in the city's streets.  Vault spun around in time to see half a dozen navy blue stagecoaches with flashing red and blue lights on top of them pulling up outside the mall.  They all bore the emblem of the Manehattan Police Department on their sides.

"That's Sergeant Howitzer," Rainbow Dash answered with a heroic grin.  "Don't worry, you'll get to meet him in a minute."

Vault was completely lost for words and unable to move.  More than a dozen uniformed ponies were stampeding up the steps, heading straight for him.  All he could think to do was turn back to the mares who cost him everything and hate them with every fiber of his being.


*****     *****     *****


The entrance of Manehattan Mall was utterly choked.  In less than half an hour the city streets outside the gargantuan shopping center were chalk full of the city's citizens, their curiosity's piqued by the sound of sirens and the brightly flashing lights that had overpowered the orange tint of the sunrise.  The crowd was innumerable and overwhelming; there weren't enough police officers in all of Manehattan to keep them under control.  They tried, but there was only so much they could do.

Queries and concerns flowed from the curious crowd, bombarding the officers with questions about why the proprietor of their beloved Manehattan Mall was being placed under arrest.  The police, of course, could not answer everypony's questions at once, simply opting to tell them that an investigation was underway and they were not ready to release any information to the public.  This did little to quell the rabble of ponies.  All the denizens of Manehattan knew for certain was that Vault Payroll was currently being escorted off the premises in cuffs.

The early morning sun was like a beacon of hope shining in the sky.  Heroes had emerged from the darkness this day and justice had been served.  It would probably take some time for the average citizen to fully comprehend the situation, but there was one group of ponies who were just glad to step outside again.

Patchwork reached up and grabbed the collar that had been strapped to his neck for two years.  With a spiteful tug, the collar fell off, the stallion throwing it to the ground and rubbing his newly liberated neck.  A sigh escaped his lips, one of relief and undying gratitude, and he smiled.

"That's the last of them, sir," said a unicorn officer.  With his magic he held a small remote that had been found on Vault's person.  The furious businessman begrudgingly divulged that it was the key to the shock collars strapped to his helpless victims.

Sergeant Howitzer nodded to his subordinate before turning to the three out-of-towners standing before him.  The gruff stallion stroked his black beard as he contemplated what to say to them.  "I can't thank you enough on behalf of our fair city for what you've done, ladies."

Pinkie Pie waved her hoof dismissively.  "Aw, shucks, t'weren't nothin'," she said, mimicking a southern accent.

"We couldn't just turn a blind eye to ponies in need," added Fluttershy.  "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if we hadn't done anything."

Rainbow Dash rubbed her chest, staring nonchalantly at her hoof.  "All in a day's work for heroes really."

"I'm sure," Sergeant Howitzer said with a deep chuckle.  "But seriously, this was a big favor you did for us.  We've suspected Payroll of criminal activity for over a decade now, but could never get a warrant to investigate.  The guy had too much pull in this city for us to get within a hundred feet of him.  But now that we got his recorded confession, we can put him away for a long time and get these poor ponies back to their families."

The stallion extended his hoof to Rainbow Dash in a show of gratitude.  The pegasus grinned proudly and shook with the officer.  Howitzer tipped his hat to the three mares as he turned to join the rest of his fellow officers in trying to keep the civilian population under control.

"Wait a minute!"

Sergeant Howitzer nearly tripped over himself, startled by the high-pitched blare of Pinkie Pie's voice.

"What's gonna happen to the mall?" she asked, her face overflowing with worry.  "Vault Payroll might have been a bad guy, but this place has given joy to so many people.  You're not gonna close it down, are you?"

Howitzer looked into the big, round eyes of the pink earth pony who seemed to be on the verge of tears.  The officer groaned and scratched his head.  "Well, miss, the place will have to be shut down for a while until we can complete a full investigation and make sure Payroll wasn't breaking any other laws as well."

Pinkie looked like she was ready to start bawling.

"However," he continued, "we've already contacted Payroll's family.  Since it's pretty likely he's going to prison, we thought it best to let them know.  Turns out that he had planned to put his daughter, Salary Payroll, in charge should something happen to him."

Fluttershy tilted her head.  "Salary Payroll?"

Howitzer nodded.  "Yup.  Actually she's on here way here now.  Should be here any minute in fact."

No sooner had he said that did a divide form in the gathering of ponies at the entrance.  The officer and the three mares could see a small, bespectacled filly, garbed in a rather expensive looking and adorable, purple suit making her way through the crowd as if she had no idea there were any other ponies present.  She was flanked on either side by two sharply dressed business unicorns who were quietly and busily jotting down notes.

"...and I need all of those vending machines that give you dumb stuff like granola bars replaced by big gumball machines.  And go to all the toy stores and get rid of those stupid robot toys and give 'em pretty dolls instead.  And make more toy stores.  There needs to be more toy stores.  Oh, and those icky sporting goods stores gotta go too.  Just turn 'em into jewelry stores or hair salons or fancy dress stores.  Oh, wait!  Make 'em someplace where you can dress like princesses and have tea parties!  And can we turn the stadium into a statue garden?  Just make sure there's a big statue of me in the middle.  And there's gotta be something we can replace all the 'healthy' garbage in the food court with, right?  Candy?  Yeah, that sounds good.  And another thing..."

Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Sergeant Howitzer all looked on in quiet concern as the pompous tot brushed past them and went further into the mall, her mouth never letting up to give her assistants a chance to rest.  Fluttershy the parrot ruffled his feathers in displeasure.

Rainbow Dash grimaced at the sight of the tyrannical tyke.  "I think this place might be in trouble."

"In any case, I have other business to attend to.  Have a nice day, ladies."  Sergeant Howitzer tipped his hat to the mares and trotted out of the building, making sure to give a gracious wave goodbye.

Fluttershy looked around the crowded entrance of the mall.  Although the police weren't able to prevent all of the curious citizens from getting inside, very few of them made it further than that, choosing instead to loiter around the entrance in hope of finding some information about the situation.

"There's an awful lot of people here," the yellow pegasus commented.  "I wonder how difficult it's going to be for the police to run their investigation."

"Squwark!  Difficult!"

"What if we have a party to celebrate that we defeated the bad guy?" Pinkie Pie suggested, pulling a party horn from her bag and blowing loudly into it.  "That'll tucker 'em all out and they'll wanna go home for some beddy-bye."

Fluttershy let out a weary sigh.  "Actually, that sounds like a good idea.  Uh, the last part I mean.  About the beddy-bye.  We've been up all night."  She accented her agreement with a long yawn, accompanied by her parrot tucking his head into his wing.

Rainbow Dash found the gesture to be quite contagious, unable to stifle a yawn herself.  "Yeah, some shuteye sounds pretty good right about now.  How about we catch the next train back to—"

"Mommy!  Daddy!"

Rainbow Dash nearly fell over as a small blur shot past her.  Peppercorn was charging forward at full speed towards a pair of pegasus ponies not far away; one a black stallion with a white mane and the other white mare with a black mane.  Their flanks bore images of pepper and salt shakers respectively.  As soon as the pair heard the young colt cry out, their faces lit up with tearful smiles, opening their forelegs to embrace the colt in a longing and loving hug.

Dash shared glances with her friends, the satisfaction of reuniting a child with their parents making their hearts swell with joy.  Fluttershy wiped a stray tear from her eye before it could trail down her cheek.

The three observed the affectionate display before them.  Peppercorn was gesturing excitedly with a large grin on his face.  He was obviously regaling the night's events to his parents.  He then turned around and pointed directly at Rainbow Dash.  His parents followed his hoof to the cyan mare and smiled gratefully before being lead to her by the ecstatic colt.

"Mom!  Dad!  This is Rainbow Dash!  She's the one who saved everypony!"

Dash waved off the praise modestly.  "I can't take all the credit.  I couldn't have done it without my friends here," she admitted, gesturing to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.  She planted a hoof on Peppercorn's head and tousled to kid's mane.  "And this little guy was a huge help too."

Rainbow Dash found herself suddenly set upon by a tearful mare, Peppercorn's mother wrapping her hooves around her in a tight, gratuitous hug.  When the mare finally released her, she rubbed the tears from her eyes smiled widely.

"There's no possible way we could ever thank you enough for what you did," she sobbed happily.

"We've been a complete mess ever since our son disappeared two months ago," Peppercorn's father added.  "To have him back is truly a blessing from Princess Celestia herself."

Pinkie Pie tilted her head.  "I guess we kinda work for the princess in a way, so that makes sense.  We're like...Celestia's angels or something," she said with a giggle.

"We're happy to do it, sir, ma'am," Fluttershy said with a curt nod.  "It was so sad to hear that a poor little colt had been separated from his mom and dad."

"He ain't so little anymore," Rainbow Dash laughed.  "This kid's a real hero now."

Peppercorn hopped around excitedly.  "Yeah!  It was so awesome!  It was just like something out of a Daring Do adventure!  I was Rainbow Dash's sidekick!"

The colt's father chuckled.  "Looks like he's taken a shine to you, Miss Dash."

"Can you blame him?" she boasted with a laugh.

"I think you three should probably head home," Fluttershy suggested.  "You haven't seen one another in a couple of months.  I'm sure you want to spend some quality time together after all of this."

The mother placed a hoof around her son's shoulder and held him close, having deeply missed her little colt.  "That's a wonderful idea.  Let's go home, Peppy."

"Okay," the colt agreed with a nod.  "Bye, Miss Dash, Miss Pie, Miss Fluttershy."

"Thank you so much once again," the father added.  "If there's ever anything we can do to repay you, don't hesitate to ask."

The three mares watched the newly reunited family as they made their way home.  Rainbow Dash felt a niggling in her mind, like she couldn't just let her sidekick leave without something to commemorate the adventure they had together.

"Peppercorn, hold up!"

The colt turned back to his new hero who casually trotted up to him with a proud and somewhat bittersweet smile.

"Hey, listen," she started, scratching her head.  "Um... You know, having you around made last night pretty fun.  I've never really had a sidekick before.  It was pretty cool."

The colt's grin widened in response to the praise, clearly pleased with what he heard.

"So..."  Rainbow Dash paused.  For a moment she hesitated to say what she wanted to say, but mentally slapped herself to knock any selfish notions from her mind.  This kid put himself on the line to help her out.  If anypony was deserving to walk away from this adventure with a piece of treasure, it was him.  Dash opened her saddlebags and pulled out a plastic-encased action figure and held it before the colt.

An elated gasp escaped his lungs, his mouth widening as much as his juvenile face would allow.  "A Daring Do action figure!?  I've always wanted one of these, but Mom and Dad said they were always sold out when they checked."  He was about to reach out to grab it but stopped himself.  He looked Rainbow Dash straight in the eye with a serious and worried expression.  "You're really letting me have this?"

The cyan mare hesitated to respond before giving her conscious another good slap.  Even if this toy was sure to become a collector's item in the future, nothing was more precious than making somepony else happy.  She saw the same glint in Peppercorn's eyes that she had when she was a filly and her dad would buy her the toys she always wanted.  He would enjoy it far more than she would.  She smiled assuredly to the colt.  "Sure, kiddo.  You've been trapped here for a long time, you deserve to have some fun.  Plus, this way you can make up own adventures."

Peppercorn cautiously took the toy in his hooves, staring at it in complete awe.  The young colt wrapped his hooves around Rainbow Dash's leg and looked up at her with a grateful grin.  "Thanks.  For everything."

Dash pat the kid's head lightly before he released her from his embrace and returned to his parents' sides, ready to head home and regain the time they'd lost.

"Isn't that beautiful?" said Fluttershy with a emotional smile.  "That feeling you get when you help somepony in need.  There's nothing like it.  Right, Pinkie?"

Fluttershy hadn't expected her friend's response to take more than a second, but actually she received no response at all.  Looking to her surprisingly silent friend, Fluttershy found Pinkie Pie staring off to the side.

"Pinkie?  What are looking at?" the pegasus inquired.

The party pony was jostled out of her silent state by the question and turned to Fluttershy.  "Hm?  Oh, I was just watching Candy.  Look."

The pair of pegasi followed Pinkie's pointing hoof, noticing Candy Cane hugging a portly, mustachioed stallion whose eyes were full of tears and lips curled into a smile of overflowing joy.

"That must Candy's dad," Rainbow Dash surmised.

"Let's go say 'hi'!" chirped Pinkie Pie as she began to bound her way over to her new friend.

It wasn't hard for Candy to hear the other pink pony's spritely hops.  She turned to the approaching mares with a smile creasing her tear-stained cheeks.

"Dad, these are my friends and the ones who saved us," Candy informed the stallion, a noticeable catch in her voice.  She pointed to each of them to introduce them.  "This is Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie."

"Hello, Mr. Candy Cane's Dad!" Pinkie greeted exuberantly.  "It's so nice to meet—hurk!"

The stallion suddenly threw his hooves around Pinkie Pie's neck, squeezing her tightly and sobbing openly in an almost comical fashion.

"Can't...breathe..." Pinkie Pie managed to choke out from the affectionate death grip, her pink face turning a dull shade of blue.

"Sorry.  He can be a little oversensitive sometimes," Candy whispered.

"Uh huh...ghk..."

"Dad, you can let her go now."

In an instant, the stallion's weeping ceased as if he had just snapped out of a trance.  "Hm?  Oh, yes, of course.  Sorry about that, dear filly."  Finally releasing Pinkie from his embrace, the mare was allowed a much needed gasp of air and her face returned to its original color.

Rainbow Dash leaned in and whispered into her ear with a smirk.  "Now you know how it feels, huh?"

"Oh, dear me.  My deepest apologies, my dear," Candy's father said as he wiped the remaining moisture from his eyes.  "You'll have to forgive me, I'm just so overcome with emotion to have my sweet, little filly back after all this time.  My name is Lolly Pop.  Most people just call me Pop."

"It's nice to meet you, Pop," Fluttershy greeted kindly, offering her hoof to the stallion.

Instead of shaking her hoof as she had expected, Pop held it with his own, leaning in to kiss it gently.  "The pleasure is all mine, my dear.  I'm simply overjoyed to see that my darling daughter's saviors not only act as angels, but share their visage as well."

Fluttershy blushed at the compliment, unable to keep a small smile from her lips.  Her parrot ruffled his feathers defensively.  Candy, however, seemed a tad off put by the display.  "Dad, can you, you know, not do that?  Please?  I'm standing right here."

Pop shook his head furiously and chuckled heartily.  "Ha ha, no, no, Candy, sweetie.  I was simply expressing just how grateful I am."  He turned back to the trio of mares, his face much more somber now.  "Although there's nothing I can possibly do to express just how thankful I am to you three.  After her mother passed away a few years ago, Candy has been the most important part of my life.  To discover she had gone missing was absolutely devastating.  Every day my will to continue going about my life diminished more and more."  He took Pinkie Pie's hoof in his and held it graciously.  "She's the only thing I have left.  I couldn't stand to lose her.  And so, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you."  Pop's mood quickly perked back up.  "I know it's only a fraction of what I wish I could give you as a reward, but if you ever come by our shop, you can help yourself to as many candy treats as you like, free of charge.  It's the least I can do."

Pinkie Pie couldn't prevent her mouth from dropping open into the widest smile her jaw would allow and gasping with sheer delight at the prospect.  Rainbow Dash could clearly see that sparkle in her eye and rolled her own, knowing exactly what was going through her simple mind.

"I'm gonna give you the authority to revoke that privilege if and when you need to.  Otherwise, you'll been eaten out of house and home."

Pop could see the trickle of drool that was beginning to drip from the corner of Pinkie's mouth.  He chuckled nervously.  "Heh, um, yes, thank you for the warning."

Candy slowly approached the entranced party mare and gave her a grateful hug, snapping Pinkie from her reverie.  "Thank you so much.  It wasn't enough to get to go back home and see my dad again, but I got to make three great friends in the process."

"Aw, you're welcome, Candy," Pinkie reciprocated, returning the hug.

Although he was hesitant to break them apart, Pop called out to his daughter.  "Come along, dear.  We have a lot of catching up to do."

Candy returned to her father's side, a joyous smile on her face.  Before leaving, she turned back to her friends.  "Don't be strangers, okay?"

Fluttershy waved to the pair as they left.  "Bye, Candy."

"Bye bye!  Squwark!"

"Take good care of your dad," added Rainbow Dash.

"Make sure to put the best candy away for when I visit!  Byeeeee!" Pinkie Pie called out after them.

It was evident by how quickly they disappeared that the crowd gathered at the mall's entrance was not dwindling, but growing.  Word was spreading at an alarming rate about the commotion at Manehattan Mall and everypony who was the least bit curious was showing up to investigate the scene.  They certainly weren't making it easy for Sergeant Howitzer and his officers.

However, despite the ever-growing population of the immediate area, one lone, earth pony stallion was distraught about not spotting the one person that he was looking for.  Patchwork sighed heavily.  Left and right he saw the ponies he had been imprisoned with reuniting with their lost loved ones.  Families becoming whole again and lovers returning to their soul mate's embrace.

"Patch?  You alright, buddy?" Rainbow Dash asked him in a concerned tone.  "You look kinda down for a guy who just got his freedom back."

"She's not here."

The three mares tilted their heads, perplexed.

"Who's not here?" asked a curious and worried Fluttershy.

Patchwork sighed again.  "My fiancé.  Everypony else gets to go back to their families and loved ones, but the one person I love more than anything else isn't here."

Pinkie Pie draped a hoof over the stallion's shoulder, putting on her best comforting smile.  "Come on, buck up, buster.  She's gotta be here somewhere.  She probably just got lost in the crowd, that's all."

Patch just seemed to grow more and more dejected with each passing moment, soon letting his flank slump to the ground.  "There's no way I wouldn't have seen her if she were here.  I could pick her out of a crowd twice this size."  A small tear began to form in his eye.  "Who am I kidding?  It's been two years.  She's probably moved on by now."

"You've spent so long in captivity.  Is this now what you think of me?"

Patchwork's head shot up at the soothing sound of a mare's voice that seemed to block out the murmuring of the crowd.  The three Ponyville mares followed his shocked gaze to see a tall, slender, zebra mare trotting elegantly toward them, her chocolate brown stripes contrasting against her flawless, white coat.  Their attention was particularly drawn to her strikingly beautiful, violet eyes and the braided, brown and white mane hanging beside her face.  Her flank bore a simple image of a lotus blossom, though Rainbow Dash and here friends still weren't entirely sure if this was a cutie mark or some sort of tribal tattoo from the zebra homeland.

The tear in Patchwork's eye was no longer one shed by sadness, but of overwhelming joy and happiness to see the familiar face.  He sprang to his hooves and ran to her with all speed.

"Zenadine!"

Embracing the zebra with a face full of tears, Patchwork allowed the doubts that had slowly began to eat at him dissipate and vanish.

Rainbow Dash stared at the couple, her mouth agape in surprise.  "That's your fiancé?!  Dude!  How the heck did you score a babe like her?!"

Fluttershy looked up in thought.  "Wait, did he say 'Zenadine'?  That name sounds familiar.  Oh, I know!  I remember hearing about her when I was modelling for Photo Finish.  Zenadine's a very popular supermodel.  She's been on the cover of a bunch of magazines."

Dash somehow managed to look even more shocked than she had been already; her jaw was practically on the floor  "A supermodel?!"

The three of them were so flabbergasted by this revelation that they hardly noticed that the newly-reunited couple were now standing next to them.  Patchwork gestured to the three mares.  "Zenadine, these are my friends.  Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy.  They're the ones who saved me."

Rainbow Dash had been about to attempt to articulate a proper sentence, but stopped when Zenadine bowed deeply to them.

"For these two years I have been praying to the sun.  You have my deepest thanks for what you three have done."

Patch looked deeply into his fiancé's violet eyes.  "I can't believe you actually waited for me all this time.  Honestly, I wouldn't have blamed you if you had wanted to move on."

Zenadine giggled softly.  "But I love you more than any other.  More than a mother, father, or a brother."

Rainbow Dash waved her hoof frantically.  "Wait wait wait, back up a bit.  Can we get back to the part where you landed a supermodel?"

Patchwork scratched his head.  "There's not much to tell really.  I'm a tailor," he explained, pointing to his needle-and-thread cutie mark.  "Zenadine came by my shop one day with a dress that needed stitching.  We got to talking and really hit it off.  We've been together ever since."

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes, skepticism evident in her gaze.  "Seems a little too simple if ya ask me."

Patch simply shrugged in response.  "I don't know what else to tell you.  That's how it happened."

Zenadine looked into the teal eyes of the yellow pegasus standing next to Rainbow Dash and gave a friendly smile.  "I thought you looked familiar in my eye.  Yes, you are indeed Fluttershy."

Fluttershy seemed taken aback that she was being addressed.  "Huh?  Oh, yes, I am.  It's nice to meet you, Zenadine.  I've heard so much about you."

"It is a shame we've never met before.  The clothes you've modeled I simply adore."

Fluttershy allowed a more confident smile at the mention of her fashion line.  "Actually, my close friend, Rarity, made those outfits.  If you ever need the perfect dress for any occasion, you should visit her in Ponyville."

The zebra let out a quiet laugh.  "Then I'll be sure to visit soon.  Perhaps even for our honeymoon?"  She passed a sultry glance to her fiancé who could only blush at the thought.

Shaking all embarrassment from his mind, Patchwork turned to his three saviors.  "Listen, girls.  I know you've heard this enough times today, but I can't thank you enough for everything.  You three—"

Dash held up her hoof to stop him.  "Hey, come on, you don't need to thank us.  Seriously, if our heads get any bigger we won't be able to get out the door."

"Yeah, Dashie's head is already super humungous as it is," Pinkie Pie joked, placing her hooves on either side of Dash's head as she pretended to measure it.

"You two should stop wasting time here and get right back to your lives.  You have two years to make up for," suggested Fluttershy.

The couple gazed lovingly into one another's eyes once more before agreeing with her.

"You are right, two years is a lot of time to spend alone.  So, thank you for bringing my dear, sweet Patches home."  Zenadine expressed her rekindled love with an intimate nuzzle against her lover's cheek.

"Maybe we'll see each other again in the near future.  Apparently, Zenadine already has her sights set on a honeymoon destination."  Patchwork turned to his special somepony, speaking to her softly.  "Come on, Zenadine.  Let's go home."

Before he could turn around, Rainbow Dash pulled Patch back momentarily, whispering in his ear.  "Hey, just between you and me, does the rhyming thing get annoying after a while?"

Patchwork seemed slightly confused by the question at first, but shook his head and chuckled.  "Not really.  Actually, I think it's cute."

Dash took a second to analyze the genuineness of his response.  Not seeing any sign that he was just saying that because she was standing right there, she just shrugged.  "Different strokes, I guess."

And, with that, they left hoof in hoof to return home.  Pinkie Pie waved goodbye until they disappeared within the crowd, wearing an exuberant smile.  It was only then that she realized exactly how heavy her own leg suddenly felt.  It seemed to drop to the floor of its own volition.  It didn't take long for the rest of her body to feel much the same way.

Fluttershy let out a long yawn, barely able to keep her eyes open.  Her feathered friend atop her head had already nestled snugly into her silky-smooth mane.  "Gosh, we've been up all night.  I don't think I've ever been awake for this long before."

The yellow mare's yawn was echoed by Rainbow Dash, who looked just about ready to curl up on the ceramic tile floor for a long nap.  "I don't know about you guys, but I've had enough of the big city for one day.  Whaddya say we catch the next train to Ponyville and get back home?"

Fluttershy nodded sleepily.  "That sounds good.  Though I'll probably just fall asleep on the train anyway."

"Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash addressed the party pony, noticing she hadn't said anything.

Pinkie Pie was just standing there, hanging her head low and not saying a word.  Rainbow Dash gave her soft poke in the side.

"Snrk!  Wha—Huh?"

"Pinkie, did you fall asleep standing up?"

Pinkie Pie rubbed her weary eyes.  "Oh, no, I was jus'...  The balloon and...  Gingerbread...  Zzzzzzz..."

Dash sighed as he watched her friend drift off to dreamland once again.  Ducking her head underneath the sleepy pony, Rainbow Dash hoisted Pinkie onto her back and opted to carry her back to the train station.


*****     *****     *****


The air in Ponyville was distinctly different than that of Manehattan.  They had only been gone for one day, but the industrial aroma of the big city had a way of burning itself into one's memory.  But as the purer, rural air began to waft through the windows of the train, they knew they were almost home.  The scents of freshly fallen rain; the leaves on all the trees; the hundreds of apples from Sweet Apple Acres.  They would have been hardly noticeable on any other day.  They were just glad to be home.

The train's wheels screeched to a stop and the conductor blew the whistle loudly, indicating to the passengers that it was time to disembark.  The three mares stepped out, breathing in Ponyville's humble atmosphere.  Rainbow Dash stretched her muscles.  Though they managed to get a few winks on the way, they weren't about to ignore the call of their warm, cushy beds.  It may have still been before noon, but this day was going to have to make due without the three of them.

The trio remained silent as they made their way into town.  They all felt as if any attempt at speaking would only result in groggy and incoherent mumbling, so it was probably best just to remain quiet for the time being.  Though they wouldn't have any choice in the matter since they had already been spotted by their lavender coated friend out for an early morning jaunt.

"Girls, hi!" Twilight Sparkle called out to the trio.  She seemed to somehow get the attention of the drowsy mares, enough for them to acknowledge her presence.  "I didn't know you were coming back so early."  The unicorn paused when she got closer, their current state now fully apparent.  "Whoa.  What happened to you three?  You look like you just pulled an all-nighter."

Rainbow Dash nodded weakly.  "Yeah, that pretty much sums it up."

Twilight smiled as she continued her inquiries.  "So, how was Manehattan?  Did you enjoy your trip?"

Pinkie Pie did her best to show enthusiasm, but could only muster a small smile, her eyelids refusing to open more than halfway.  "It was sweet," she answered, unable to put her usual oomph behind it.  "We had so much fun.  I played in the bouncy castle and ate a lot of stuff and met some new friends."

"That's nice.  As long as you enjoyed yourselves.  What about you Flutter—Um..."  It was only then that Twilight took notice of the bird upon Fluttershy's head.  "Speaking of new friends..."

"Huh?"  Fluttershy followed Twilight's gaze to the parrot, having forgotten in her sleep-deprived state that he'd been there.  "Oh, right.  Twilight, this is Fluttershy.  And Fluttershy, this my friend, Twilight."

The unicorn quirked an eyebrow in confusion.  "Geez, you guys must be tired if Fluttershy is getting her own name mixed up with that parrot's."

"Squwark!  Hello!"

"Well, at least he's friendly," Twilight giggled.  "So what exactly did you girls do to run yourselves so ragged?"

Rainbow Dash waved a hoof in dismissal and groaned.  "Ugh.  Look, it's a loooong story, alright?  If you don't mind, I'd rather tell you everything at a time where my eyeballs don't feel like they're gonna fall out of my skull."

"Fair enough," the unicorn agreed with a nod.  "Oh, but before you get going, I just want to ask how you enjoyed The Wonderbolts' show."

Despite her current physical state, Rainbow Dash's eyes shot open.  She blinked, her expression completely blank.  "The...  Wonderbolts?

"Yeah.  I thought the show wasn't until later today.  I guess I was wrong though since you're already home and—"

"Horseapples!  I completely forgot!"

Rainbow Dash, her weariness pushed to the wayside all of a sudden, grabbed Twilight by the face in a panic.  "What time is it?!"

"Uhhh...  Ish ten minush to twelve," she replied as best as she could with her cheeks smooshed together.

"Good!  Great!  Fluttershy!  Pinkie Pie!  Wake up!  We're grabbing the twelve o' clock train back to Manehattan!  I think we can still make it!  MOVEMOVEMOVE!"

Without wasting another second, Rainbow Dash bolted back to the train station in a frenzied rush, leaving the others behind.

Pinkie Pie let out another yawn before shaking off her sleepless state as best as she could.  "Okie dokie.  See ya later, Twilight!  Again!"  The pink pony bounded off in the same direction as Rainbow Dash, her sleepiness still evident as she stumbled a few times along the way.

Fluttershy was about to follow suit, but stopped and turned back to Twilight.  "Um, Twilight, could you please look after Fluttershy until we get back?  He was pretty restless during the trip here; I don't think he likes the train much."

Twilight was utterly befuddled by the situation in its entirety, but managed a response, albeit a rather unsure one.  "Uh, okay?"

"Thank you."  Fluttershy smiled softly and gestured to the bird.  The parrot, heeding the command, switched seats and perched upon the unicorn's deep purple mane.

"Hey!  Fluttershy!" they heard the panicked voice of Rainbow Dash call out from the distance.  "Get the lead out!  We gotta go!"

"Oh, right.  Bye, Twilight."

Fluttershy headed off in the direction of Dash's voice, following it to the train station as the cyan pegasus continued to pressure her to speed things up.

Twilight simply stood motionless in the middle of town, trying to wrap her head around what was going on.  She glanced up to the parrot using her head as a chair and absentmindedly preening its wings whose care she had unexpectedly been put in charge of.

"Yeah, I think an explanation is in order."